Playtime
by Alex Snape
Summary: The Joker is about to see what it's like when Harley takes the upper hand. More smut, I'm afraid. Don't act as if you don't like it. Nolanverse, rated M for language and sex  duh!
1. Chapter 1

**Yet more Joker/Harley smut. NOT A ONESHOT! Enjoy and please review...should get interesting. Hehe!**

"You okay, Harley girl?" Ivy asked her as she handed a steaming mug of fresh peppermint tea to her friend.

Harley shifted on the sofa, her eyes drooping. She leaned forward to take the mug but winced from the pain on the inside of her thighs. "Yeah, Red," she mumbled. "Just dandy..."

Ivy chuckled as she sat beside her, taking a sip of her own tea until she suddenly spied sharp red welts from underneath her short shorts. "Oh my God, Harl..." she said. "What happened to your legs?"

Her friend choked on her tea and coughed as she looked at her skin. "Oh, this?" she said, smiling sheepishly. "Um...just...just..."

"What did that sick bastard do to you this time?" Ivy huffed. "Jesus, Harley! They're all over you!"

"Calm down, Red. It's nothin'...really..." Harley set down her mug and carefully stood, allowing another gasp being emitted from Ivy again.

"Is that a bruise?" she asked.

Harley gave her a confused glance but then walked to the bedroom and stood in front of Ivy's full-length mirror that sat in front of her bed, and inspected the purplish spot just under her right buttock. "Oh!" she said, almost in awe. "I was wondering what that was..."

"Oh?" Ivy mimicked her, amazed. "You actually like that he gave that to you?"

"Don't worry, Pammie. It's just a little love bruise; that's all?"

"Love bruise!" Ivy shouted. "Why in the world would you-"

"Well...we tried something...different last night..." Harley said, grinning and biting her lip playfully.

"So..." Ivy said. "Him giving you bruises and cuts was starting to get boring? What in the hell did he do to you?"

Harley sat on the sofa again and picked up her tea. "Well..."

_"Puddin'..." Harley whimpered. "Not so tight-ow!"_

_The Joker chuckled as he straddled her as she lay on the bed, positioned on her stomach in nothing but her red and black panties. He looped one more knot through the tie around her left wrist that was now latched to the bed post. "Where's your sense of...sport, Harl?" he purred as his fingers traced down her arm, tickled her side and then pinched her bottom._

_"Just...just don't be too..." she breathed._

_"Rough?" he asked as he smacked the inside of her thigh, making her squeal. "That's all part of the game, sweetie. It isn't much fun without a little...force." He growled as he pushed his crotch between her spread legs and bit her shoulder._

"I was actually the one who had suggested this...new sexual venture," Harley told her friend.

"Really?" Ivy sneered.

Harley giggled. "Yeah...I'm not sure why, but last night we were sitting in his study and he called me over to his desk and made me sit in his lap...kinda surprised me, but the way he started kissing me...something...stirred inside me..."

"Stop before I gag..."

_"Um...Pud?" she whispered as she straddled him._

_The Joker smirked, "Yes?"_

_"Uh...I was thinkin'...you ever wanted to try...oh, I don't know," she paused to giggle. "It's silly..."_

_"Try what...silly girl?"_

_She giggled again and bit her lip. "Well, I have this little...fantasy..."_

_He raised his eyebrows amusedly. "Oh?" He placed his hands on her waist as she raised to meet his gaze. "Tell me more..."_

_"No, no..." she suddenly turned away sheepishly. "It's stupid..." Harley looked at him again and saw his pleased, yet curious expression. "I, uh...kinda want you to...tie me up..."_

"What!" Ivy chuckled. "Are you kidding me?"

"Shh! I'm talking, Red!" Harley laughed.

_The Joker's grin instantly became a smile. "Really?"_

_She laughed, caressing his tie. "Yeah...like, to the bed..."_

_"Hmm...I see. And, uh...what would you...want to happen?" he asked, reaching up her tank top and lightly pinching her hard nipple._

_She jumped a bit and squeaked. "Um...I don't know...whatever you wanted..."_

"Harley...I love you, girl," Ivy said. "But...that was a really dumb thing to say..."

Her friend grunted as she crossed her legs. "Tell me about it..."

_Harley was taking deep breaths as she heard The Joker walking behind her, shuffling through his closet. Harley had an idea of what he was looking for, but it still slightly annoyed her that she couldn't turn around to ease her anxiousness. "Um...Daddy?" she whined._

_A tense pause followed and then the sharp crack of a leather belt that was being snapped in The Joker's grip. "Yes, Harley?" he said darkly._

_Harley gasped, knowing his plans for what he was holding. "Mistah J...we've done that before...I just really wanted to..." _

_A sound smack followed by her surprised squeal echoed in the bedroom as she felt the first painful lash across her bottom. "You're tied up, baby..." he growled. "You...don't get to run the show..." He grinned when he heard her whimper as he yanked off her panties._

"So that explains the welts..." Ivy mumbled.

"And the bruise, too..." Harley added. When she saw the surprised look on Ivy's face, she shrugged. "He got a little carried away..."

_Fifteen minutes later, Harley's bottom was bright red with welts and speckled with small bruises as tears streamed down her cheeks, her face saturated and flushed. She finally saw her chance to catch her breath when she heard The Joker toss his belt to the floor. Harley knew that he was standing at the foot of the bed, and she could feel his lustful gaze upon her as she sobbed._

_After a short moment, she heard him step to her side and she let out a surprised cry when he suddenly cupped her right buttock. "Ow!" she sniveled. "Oh...God...it hurts..."_

_"Does it, little girl?" he whispered. "I thought you wanted to play..."_

_He smacked her bottom roughly with his hand, making her scream in pain. "You need to be careful..." SMACK "...what you..." SMACK "...wish for!" SMACK_

_"Ahh! Yes, sir!" she shrieked._

_He snickered. "Good girl..."_

_Her eyes grew wide when she heard the sound of his switchblade open and felt the cold flat of it rest on her hot thigh._

"Wow," Ivy said, flatly. "A knife. Why am I not surprised?"

_He lightly traced the tip of his knife over her burning skin, allowing it to flow freely in playful circles on her round bottom and then gliding to the insides of her thighs. She whimpered as her heart pounded. "Puddin'...please..."_

_A gentle slice made her scream in her pillow as he gave her another nick on her other thigh, letting the paper-thin slit mingle among the welts on her skin. _

"That sadistic bastard!" Ivy yelled, slamming her mug of tea on the coffee table in front of them. "Why would you let him do that to you?"

"It was bad at first, but...I don't know..." Harley sighed. There was a silent pause as Ivy glared at her friend in disbelief. She suddenly giggled. "Besides, Red...it paid off in the end..."

_Harley was desperately trying to catch her breath between her choking sobs as The Joker suddenly stopped his cutting. She felt his hand glide over the small of her back and over her stinging flesh. His fingertips traced the welts he had left until they found their way to the warmth between her legs._

_He abruptly sighed loudly as he popped his neck. "Oh, baby..." he whispered, hungrily. "What happened here?" _

_He made his soft touch travel lower and he tenderly caressed her wet cunt. She felt his eyes on her, and she knew he wanted her to respond to him as his fingers moved to her clit. A soft moan left her throat as she carefully arched her back and gently moved her hips with his touch._

"Okay," Ivy stopped her. "I don't really need details..."

"Fine," Harley huffed. "I'll fast-forward..."

_The Joker was furiously pounding into her as she gripped the ties that were still binding her to the bed. His hand had slipped around her delicate throat where his fingers were slowly tightening their grip. _

_"Daddy..." she moaned nervously._

_"Shh shh..." he demanded, his hold on her neck getting stronger. _

_The headboard was steadily making cracks in the wood paneling of their wall as he thrust harder and deeper into her. His breath was hot against her shoulder and Harley rolled her eyes back, her climax rising. She could tell The Joker was enjoying her growing cries of ecstasy, but she suddenly realized he was relishing in them so much that the constriction of his fingers grew tighter around her throat and she began to gag._

_"Pud-" she choked. "No...stop!"_

_He didn't listen but just continued to thrust harder into her, his growls growing louder as he listened to her sporadic breathing. _

_"Please! Please...! Stop it!" _

_Harley's breath was trapped beneath his grip and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears as her vision was growing darker, but soon he let out a loud moan as she felt himself release inside her and his fingers slowly uncoil themselves from her neck._

_She gasped for air as she coughed into her pillow and he lay on top of her shuddering body as he was now catching his own breath, sweat glistening on his painted forehead._

"Everything was fine...until the, ya know...choking part..." Harley said quietly.

Ivy shook her head. "You could've been killed, Harl."

"No!" she eagerly assured her. "No, he wouldn't do that. He's careful..."

"Harley, you just said that you were about to suffocate. And he is anything but careful...that bastard..."

"I guess we need to have a safe word."

Ivy's eyes grew wide. "You mean you actually want to do that again?"

"Well, come on, Red. Ya gotta admit it was sexy..."

"Nothing you just told me affected me in the way toward anything sexy, Harley," she said. "It was sick. I can't believe you would want to do that! And then do it again after he almost killed you!"

Harley grew quiet and looked at her lap where she rested her fidgeting hands. After a moment, she sighed, saying, "Well, sure...I wanna do it again, but...differently this time."

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "How...differently?"

She licked her lips and raised her gaze to her friend, grinning slyly. "I think I need to turn the tables a bit..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ooh, I wonder what's gonna happen! One more chapter to follow.**

Harley climbed the stairs to their bedroom to find, to her surprise, The Joker already resting in bed, sitting with his back against the headboard and reading a magazine. He was on top of the comforter wearing a pair of black and green plaid boxers she had gotten him one Christmas, and his shirtless torso was heaving as he concentrated on the periodical he held in his hands.

She blinked at the amusing sight as she stepped through as quietly as possible, but the click of the door shutting behind her made him raise his head to her. She grinned at him as she walked to her vanity where she set her bag on the seat. "Hey, Puddin'," she said softly as she pulled the tie from her ponytail and proceeded to brush it out.

"Hi..." he said in a tired voice. "Where you been?"

"I went to Ivy's for tea," Harley sighed as she took off her shorts and top. She spied that he was watching her undress and he smirked when they locked eyes. "What's wrong, baby?"

He sniffed as he shook his head and put his eyes to the magazine. The Joker wouldn't tell her but he was staring hard at the work he had left on her pert bottom, which had left the skin a bright pink with deep red stripes strewn in wicked patterns.

"How is the Plant? She still hate me?" he mumbled.

"With every fiber of her being..." Harley said from the bathroom as she washed off her makeup.

She patted her face dry and sighed again as she turned and bumped into The Joker who had sneaked up behind her. "Oh!" she squeaked. "Sorry, honey. I didn't know you were-"

He suddenly grabbed her arms and pulled her closer, planting his lips on hers and melted into him. His hand caressed her lower back and soon moved to her bra where he easily unhooked it with a swift movement.

She softly gasped as he slowly pulled her straps off her shoulders and pulled away from their kiss. He tossed her bra to the floor and handed her a red spaghetti strap tank top she always wore to bed. "Well..." she said. "That's very nice of you..."

The Joker smiled as he watched her pull on her top and heard her soft giggle. "What's funny?" he asked.

Harley pointed to the magazine he was still holding and said, "That's my latest copy of Cosmo."

He shrugged. "And?"

"Why do you have my Cosmo?" she asked, her grin growing bigger.

"Because it's hilarious," he replied. He pursed his lips as he flipped through a few pages and read, "'101 Ways to Please Your Man?' Come on, now. That's ridiculous...there's only three things you need to do to keep a man happy..."

Harley smiled. "And those are?"

"Suck him, fuck him, then leave him alone..." he said, annoyed. "Speaking of which, if you want to keeping breathing pure air, I suggest you get outta here, quick."

Harley chuckled. "Puddin'! Ew, that's sick!"

The Joker pushed her out of the bathroom, saying, "Nature calls, sweetness..." He shut the door behind her and Harley instantly stopped laughing and rushed to her bag where she retrieved the two pairs of handcuffs Ivy had given her.

She trotted to the bed and hastily snapped them to the bedposts, pushing them against the mattress to conceal them. Harley returned to her bag and carefully brought out a tiny perfume bottle with which she lightly sprayed her neck.

Minutes later, she heard the toilet flush and as The Joker washed his hands in the bathroom sink, she hurriedly jumped onto the bed and sprawled across their deep purple comforter, seductively resting her hand on her thigh.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he took one look at her and threw the magazine aside, approaching her slowly and letting his eyes drift up and down her body. "Well, well..." he muttered. "What's all this?"

Harley giggled as she jumped up and placed her arms around his thin waist. "Nothin'," she whispered. "I just...want another kiss...that's all."

"You're hopeless..." he purred as he leaned toward her lips again.

He suddenly inhaled deeply and raised his head to look at her. "What is that?" he asked.

She cocked her head, feigning confusion. "What is...what, baby?"

"That...smell..." He planted his nose in her neck and she giggled again as he squeezed her tighter, biting her skin.

"Come here, Puddin'," she said, slyly. "Let's get more comfy...then you can smell...every...inch of me..."

"Mmm," she heard him moan in delight as he let her lead him to the bed, making him sit on the edge as she straddled him.

He couldn't point out the fragrance on her skin, but The Joker couldn't keep his nose out of her neck nor could he resist letting his hands roam her body as he wildly nipped at her.

Harley was shaking under his lips, but she made herself withstand his efforts and gently guided him onto his back as she reciprocated his kisses with some of her own, trailing them along his shoulders and chest.

His heavy breathing slightly startled her, and Harley was beginning to worry that she had applied a little too much of the pheromone Ivy had given her, but she was also enjoying at how he was reacting to her touch.

She poised her lips over his as he took deep breaths, inhaling the mysterious fragrance with pure eagerness as she made him put his arms over his head by running her nails along them.

Harley felt the goose bumps raising upon his skin and, seeing that his eyes were closed as he breathed in her ecstasy, she reached toward the first pair of handcuffs that was near his left wrist. She bit her lip in concentration, knowing she would have to act quickly once he felt the cuffs enclose on him.

She paused in her movements, then speedily latched his wrist to the post, and as he started to come out of his zealous trance, his right wrist had been successfully secured as well, and Harley drew back and leapt off the bed just in time for him to pull against them, growling with rage.

"What the fuck are you doing!" he shouted as he glared at her as she stood at the foot of the bed.

Harley looked at him, her lips spreading into a giddy smile. "I just...wanna play some more, Daddy..."

He frowned at her. "You wanna what?" He glanced behind him and continued to pull at the cuffs, but stopped when he heard Harley's giggling. "You better hope I don't get out of these, little girl."

"Oh, I'll let you go, Puddin'..." she said, walking to the side of the bed, letting her fingers trace his ribs and making him jump as it tickled his flesh. "But not until I have a little bit of fun..."

"You conniving little bitch! Get me out of this!" he bellowed.

"In due time, Lover..." Harley said she went to the window where his coat hanged. "In due time..."

The Joker watched her as she rummaged in his pockets. "Get your hands outta there..." he whispered.

"Why?" she said contentedly using a provoking tone. "Afraid of what I'm gonna find?"

He turned his angry glare away from her and sighed, frustrated at not just being bound but also that he couldn't act upon his rage. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as his ears burned, but he opened them when he felt Harley straddle him once more, this time with his knife in her hand.

"You don't know how to use that..." he dared her in a threatening snarl.

Harley gave him a frustrated look as she clicked open the knife and brought the blade to his chest. "Wanna bet?"

The Joker licked his lips as he watched her move the edge down his chest and along his stomach, and he flinched when she stopped above the waistband of his boxers.

She gave him a mischievous grin, to which he rejoined in a deep voice, "Don't you dare..."

She raised her eyes to meet his and whispered, "Where's you sense of sport, Puddin'?" With that, she pressed the blade into his hip, making a small cut that made him wince.

"You little cunt!" he snarled.

A sharp sting landed across his face and he turned to her with wide eyes as she cradled the hand that had just struck him.

Harley's heart pounded in her chest as they stared at each other, and she was surprised at herself that she for once had acted on impulse. However, she grinned as she leaned in and slapped him again, harder this time and making him grunt.

He sighed and turned to her again, saying, "Keep at it, bitch..."

"Okay," she chuckled, smacking him harder on his left cheek. She laughed as he moaned in pain and frustration, and for good measure, she gave him another small slice on the other side of his hip.

"Stop that!" The Joker yelled at her.

"Shut up..." Harley said, amusedly.

"Excuse me?" he said, raising an eyebrow, but a sudden cut on his left pectoral made him jump. "You fucking harlot! You better hope I don't get out of these cuz I'll make you bleed from places you never thought existed!"

Harley threw back her head in wild laughter, enjoying this rare sensation of power.

She was starting to see why he enjoyed controlling her in these situations and she soon found herself rocking on his groin in lustful abandon as he glared at her.

"Baby..." she cooed. "You're tied up...you don't get to run the show..."

After a moment, The Joker started to chuckle as he shook his head. "Oh, I get it," he said. "Payback, huh? You're forgetting that you were the one that wanted to do something different."

"And we're doing it, Puddin'," she exclaimed. "Ain't it fun?" She grinded her hips onto him and he closed his eyes as he tilted his head back and sighed.

She could feel himself grow hard underneath her and she slip off his hips and caressed his growing erection through his boxers.

"Hmm," she said. "I think you're liking this..."

"Hard not to when you're playing with it..." The Joker mumbled, raising his eyes to her again with a wicked smile.

"How about when I do this?" She slapped the shaft of his cock, making him throw his head back with a loud painful moan.

"God dammit!" he hissed. "What the fuck?"

She slapped it again and then gave him a small cut on the inside of his thigh. His frustrated groaning was echoing in her ears and her heart beat faster in her chest as she straddled him again, this time leaning forward and putting her face near his.

"Maybe I should get your belt? Hm?" she teased.

He licked the corners of his mouth as he gave her a dark look.

Something suddenly clicked inside her. Seeing him helpless in this state gave her a modicum of satisfaction, but it also reminded her of how he used her fantasy to his advantage by allowing him to gain even more control over her.

Did he inadvertently manipulate her to have that sudden urge to be even more submissive than she already was?

And was the situation that had occurred the night before a fantasy come true for her...or was it for him?

Besides the sexual pleasure they both acquired from it, Harley realized that she wasn't enjoying what she was doing to him after all, and she suddenly enveloped his throat with her hands and started to squeeze.


	3. Chapter 3

The vibrations of the rising giggle in his throat rippled through the palms of her hands as Harley stared darkly into his taunting eyes. She sneered at him as her own eyes began to well up with tears, and she didn't know why they were there but she knew that what she was doing to him felt right.

"Stop it..." she hissed at him. When he only let the giggle escape his lips, she leaned into him and began to squeeze harder.

He abruptly stopped as he gagged, causing Harley to ease her grip but keeping a firm hold on his neck. The Joker smacked his lips as he grinned at her. "What...heh...what do you think you're doing, Harley?"

She sighed as her lips parted, a tear finally rolling down her cheek. "What I should've done months ago..."

"You're not capable of killing me, baby girl." He grunted as she pressed into his throat and his eyes grew wide, but Harley could still see the amused light they still held.

"You've underestimated me before, Mistah J," she whispered.

She felt his Adam's apple slide under her thumbs as he swallowed hard. "You want to do it; there's no question...but you never would..."

"Why wouldn't I?" she snarled at him. "Our relationship is nothing but a big joke to you...you only wanted to show the world...what you did to poor, naive Harleen Quinzel..."

The chuckle returned, deeper this time as she squeezed. "But...you're _in_ on the joke, Harley. You've had a few laughs, right? This moment, for instance...thought you could have a chance to feel power...much like what I had...in your office...in the bedroom...in your pretty little head..."

He paused to catch what little breath he could, then licked his bottom lip. "Feels good...doesn't it? Haha...wanna really feel good, Harley Girl? Keep squeezing...don't just watch your victim die..._feel_..._him_..._die_..."

She leaned back momentarily as his growling voice made her shiver, and she lightly gasped when he felt that his erection was still present underneath his boxers. Harley stared down at him, amazed and livid at the same time. "You really are sick..." she whimpered.

The Joker's attempted laughter was only a shudder in his shoulders as his breaths grew shorter. His grin grew into a smile as he gazed into her bright blue eyes. "And you...really are beautiful, Harley...especially now...I've been waiting to see the blood-lust in you..."

"Why do you do this to me!" she screamed at him, squeezing tighter, her thumbs now making a prominent impression in his throat.

They stared at each other as she felt his pulse race in his jugular under her grip. She choked, sobbing, "I don't need you in my life, but I can't leave you! Why do you have this hold on me!"

She was now pressing her palms into his neck and she could hear him gagging, the throbbing in his veins going faster. Harley bared her teeth menacingly at him as he calmly looked into her eyes. She sighed, her tear-stained face turning red with anger. "Why...can't I get rid of you?" she muttered.

His eyes were starting to flutter back as his pulse slowed and he stifled quietly under her grasp, "I...ask...myself that...all the...time..."

Harley's heart pounded in her chest as she heard his words, but before she could free him from the clutches of her now white-knuckled hands, the fluttering of his eyes suddenly ceased and the tremor of his pulse waned, leaving nothing but an hysterical Harley resting atop the lifeless body of The Joker.

"Mi-Mistah J?" she whispered, nervously. She loosened her grip and she could see perfect outlines of her tiny hands on his pale neck. "Mistah J...hey..." she told him, desperately.

She shook him but he didn't stir, and Harley placed two fingers just under his jaw and gasped when she felt no movement. "No..." she whimpered to herself. "Oh...God, no...what did..."

Harley slid off his hips and feverishly ran her hands along his side and over his stomach as she tried to hold the growing cries that were trying to escape her body.

"Puddin'...no, no, no..." she breathed over his naked torso as she raked anxious pecks on his skin. "Oh, God...baby...what did I do? I'm sorry...so sorry, baby..."

She quickly freed his lifeless limbs from the cuffs on the bedposts and placed them at his sides, and her sobs finally freed themselves as she gazed at him. "No! Dear, God, nooo! Baby! I didn't mean to...you can't! You just can't!"

Harley hid her face in his chest and cried into him. "Look what you made me do! Oh...god dammit! Why! You bastard, why!"

She climbed on top of him again, foolishly thinking that the warmth of her own body would somehow bring him out of his endless sleep. "I love you, baby...I love you so much...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

She looked at his face and more tears fell as his dark, beautiful eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling fan above their bed. She sniffed as she reached up and gently shut his lids.

A scream emitted from her throat when one of his hands suddenly grasped her wrist and she stared in horror as his eyes came back to life, this time glowing with rage. Harley's startled words were stuck in her throat, but she belted another terrified shriek when she sensed the movement of his other hand and of the sharp pain in her side as the knife he clutched drove itself into her.

* * *

><p>"Harley!" she heard him cry out to her as she continued to scream as she fell off the bed landed on her injured side. His hands were on her shoulders and he was shaking her, but she kicked at him and felt her foot land in his stomach.<p>

"Ah!" he grunted, but he grabbed her again. "Harley! Wake up!"

"Let me go! Oh, God! I'm so sorry, Puddin'!" she continued to wail as she tried to push him away.

A swift slap across her cheek made her open her eyes and she saw that she was on the floor beside the bed, and The Joker was kneeling over her. She gasped when she realized that he was still alive, but gave him a confused expression when she saw that he was now dressed in his purple shirt and pinstriped pants.

They were both staring at one another in disbelief in a tense moment of silence, but Harley quickly sat up and looked around. "Where..." She looked down at her side and found no knife wound and she looked at him again. "What happened?" her voice trembled as she spoke.

The Joker shook his head as he rolled his eyes, offering his hand to her. He frowned when she hesitated and he grabbed her by the wrist and eased her to her feet. He brought her to his chest as she hugged herself, her wide eyes still looking around the bedroom.

The bed was disheveled, the comforter on the floor and the satin sheets crumpled. She felt him lead her to the edge of the bed where he made her sit. "Mistah J...what-?"

"Well," he sighed. "I came out of the bathroom and saw that you had fallen asleep at the end of the bed. Kind of a let down...I thought you wanted to have some fun..."

"Asleep?" she asked him, now utterly perplexed. "But I remember...I remember you coming out of the bathroom and...we started kissing...and then we were on the bed..."

He chuckled. "Hm...nice to know I got action in _some_ way..."

"So...I dreamed it?" Harley asked, relieved.

"Afraid so, baby doll. Like I said, kind of a let down...so I put you to bed and went in to my study a while."

He tried to ease her back onto her spot on the bed, but she resisted, saying, "You're dressed, though...I thought you were-"

He shrugged as he sat beside her. "I'm bored. I was gonna go out and let you sleep...I was looking for some socks when you started screaming."

Harley leaned against the headboard and put her face in her hands as a tear sneaked its way down her cheek. His rough thumb carelessly wiped it away and he stood up. "Go back to sleep, Harley."

"But...I dreamed that...oh, God...it was horrible..." she sniffled.

The Joker rolled his eyes again at the sound of her trying to hold back more tears. "Tell me later," he called to her from his closet as he picked up an already worn pair of socks. "Like whenever you get the itch to do laundry again..." he mumbled.

"What, Pud?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing..." he grinned as he approached her. "Bedtime..."

He leaned in to kiss her but she stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

Harley wanted to tell him what he had told her in her horrific dream, tell him that she had conquered him, eliminating his claim over her and ending his life for good. She also ached to describe to him the extreme anguish that had shaken her when she realized that possessing utter control over someone, especially him, was something she herself couldn't handle.

The Joker looked into her blue eyes as she gazed up at him, and he could see that she was hesitating to tell him what was running through her mind.

The Joker gave her another moment and then placed his hand to her cheek as he gently kissed her.

Harley blinked, startled at the tender feeling of his caress, and she sighed as he whispered, "You smell nice."

She grinned as she slowly laid herself under the sheets and tucked them under her chin as The Joker turned off the bathroom light. "Puddin'? When will you be -"

"Good night, Harley," came his stern voice in the darkness as he opened their bedroom door.

Harley bit her lip as she listened to his footsteps trod down the stairs and then out the door, where she heard the usual sound of the car revving out of the lot and down the alley.

**- END -**


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